Peter Nolasco da Silva, architect and health facility planner, passed away on 04.18.11 at the age of 73. Though afflicted for the last 10 years with Parkinson's disease, da Silva maintained an active schedule.He was born in 1938 in Manila and came to the U.S. at the age of 18 to attend Notre Dame University where he earned a Bachelor of Architecture degree. After college, he moved to NYC, working for Rogers Butler Architects and Charles deBarry. He attended graduate school at Columbia to earn a Master in Health Facility Planning in 1962, after which he worked with Westerman Miller Associates, specializing in Health FacilityDesign. In 1977, he founded Mason and daSILVA Associates with Larry Mason. When Larry Mason left in 1987, da Silva continued the firm as daSILVA + Associates, where he remained until his retirement. The firm still carries on his name as daSILVA Architects PC, led by Jaques Black, AIA, Charles Calcagni, AIA, and Anton Martinez, AIA. As a Health Facility architect and planner, da Silva designed many structures at most of the major medical centers in the tri-state area. North Central Bronx Hospital, for the Health and Hospital Corporation, was the first "fast track" hospital built in NYC. Throughout the 1980s and 90s, da Silva was responsible for many new and renovated centers for the Health Insurance Plan of Greater New York. His dedication to proper planning for patient care assured that each of these facilities worked both for staff and patients. His insistence on bringing light and air and color into each building was based on his belief that patient care environments should be life affirming and pleasant for all patients and family members.
 

He is survived by Beth, his wife of 47 years, three daughters, four grandchildren, a brother Noel of Canada, and a sister Rosalie of Australia.